PERRY COUNTY, TN–In a statement to the Patriot Punk Network by Joy Breeding, the Perry County Court Clerk, it was confirmed that audio recordings from court proceedings were accidentally deleted during the transition between email platforms.
According to Breeding, “The only recordings we ever had deleted was done by mistake by the AOC (Administrative Office of the Courts) representative that came and switched our pc’s from Groupwise to Outlook. This was not our intention but was overlooked when they did the switch over.” The affected recordings span from October 2, 2024, to November 22, 2024.
This accidental deletion raises several significant concerns. Audio recordings serve an important role in maintaining the accuracy of court transcripts.
They capture important factors of court testimony oftentimes lost in transcription such as tone fluctuation or hesitation by a witness.
Court recordings are also an important part of potential appeals. Without these records, there could be disputes over court transcripts or the exact dialogue during proceedings–especially if someone is accused of lying under oath.
The Perry County Court System is presumably taking steps to prevent future accidents, though specific actions or preventive measures have not been detailed.
The exact impact of this deletion on ongoing cases and future court operations remains to be seen, and is hopefully minimal. We have submitted a records request for any correspondence related to this accidental deletion, but at the time of this publication had not received any records in response to that request.
